Hang Tuah, etc. found not Malay but Chinese!

Origins of Hang Tuah ( and Hang Jebat Hang Lekiu etc)

By John Chow

Findings of the team of scientists, archaeologist, historian and other technical staff from the United State, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Yemen & Russia

The graves of Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Lekiu and their close friends have been found and  their skeletons had been analysed.  Their DNA had been analysed and it is found that Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Lekiu etc. are not Malay,  but Chinese  (Islamic Chinese,  just like the famous Admiral Cheng Ho).  Malacca was a protectorate of China at that time,  andthe Emperor of China sent the Sultan of Malacca “yellow gifts’ as a token of his sovereignty.  The 5 warrior brothers were believed to be sent to help protect Malacca and its Sultan from Siam (Thailand). 

The Sultans of Malacca was directly descended from the Parameswara from Indonesia who fled to Tamasek (Singapore) and then to Malacca.  The Malaccan Sulatanate family eventually spread and became the Sultanate of the other Malay states of Perak and Johor.  Therefore,  the Sultanate royal court and the aristocrats of the Malay sultanates are actually foreigners from Sumatra and Java.  Hang Tuahand his friends were the protectors of the Indonesian aristocratic Parameswara family who came to Malaya around 1400 AD and claimed sovereignty of the land. 

For confirmation please refer to:-

The Federal Association of Arc & Research of Michigan, USA

John Chow’s notes:-

Hang is an unusual surname or name for a Malay. It sounds like s corruption of a Chinese surname.

In fact,Chinese names start with the surname first, and given names last.Malay names start with the given names first and the father’s name last(as in Ahmad bin Yusuf which means “Ahmad, the son of Yusuf).There is no surname in traditional Malay. There is no surname to carry forward to the next generation.

We also need to examine the genealogy.  We know that Hang Tuah’s father was Hang Mamat.  Here,  we do not see a Malay name transmission.  We see a name being carried forward.  It is also noted that the placement of the name that is carried forward is in front.  This indicates that the surname is “Hang”.  It is the transmission of Chinese names.  

We also know that Hang Tuah’s son is Hang Nadim.  Again,  the name “Hang” is carried forward,  and yet again,  auspiciously in front,  as a Chinese name would be,  with the surname in front.  There is no indication of a Malay naming convention.

Note that Hang Nadimis also known as Si Awang (Malays would colloquially refer to others as “Si”.   “A”  or “Ah” is a common prefix for referring to others in Chinese.  Thus,  a person with surname Wang/Huang would be referred to as “Si Ah Wang” in Malaysia  - Mr. Ah Huang) by the Malays. 

Note that Hang Tuah’smother is Dang Merdu.  “Dang” would be quite an unusual surname for a Malay also.  However,  “Dang”  or “Tang” is a common Chinese surname.  Note that the name “Dang”  is in front,  signifying that this is a Chinese naming convention,  yet again. 

Some Malays will argue that “Hang” is an honorific term (Humba) for those that serve the royal courts.  http://www.freewebs.com/suaraanum/0506b02.htm   This argument is not tenable.  Firstly,  where is the precedence in sultanates that preceded the Malaccan Sultanate?  Secondly,  where is the evidence that this is so in succeeding sultanates?  Thirdly,  where is the evidence that this practice was carried out in the sultanate of that time?  And has that Sultan given it to other court official and the royal family and their court officials and courtesans?  Where is the evidence?  Fourthly,  since Hang Tuah’s father is called Hang Mamat,  then he would have served the Sultan prior to Hang Tuah.  But there is no evidence this is so.  In fact,  there is evidence that Hang Tuah was a very poor kid in the village.  His father was not a high court official,  and he was not brought up in the court.  In addition,  since if Hang Tuah’s father Hang Mamat had already served as a high court official,  why must Hang Tuah be educated in Bahasa Melayu and court etiquette etc. again since the family is already indoctrinated in royal protocol? 

"Dalamperbendaharaan nama-namaorang Melayu semasa zaman kesultanan Melaayu Melaka, tiada terdapat nama-nama seumpama Hang Tuah, Hang Kasturi, Hang Jebat, Hang Lekir, Hang Lekiu, ringkasnya ringkasan yang bermula dengan ¡®Hang¡¯. Sejarah juga telahmencatatkan nama-nama dari bangsa Cinayang bermula dengan Hang, Tan, Maa dan Lee. Ia bergantung kepadasuku kaum atau asal-usul keturunan mereka dari wilayah tertentudari China. Kemungkinan untuk mendakwa bahawa gelaran ¡®Hang¡¯ telah dianugerahkan oleh Raja-Raja Melayu juga tiadaasasnya. "

The last sentence loosely translates as, "There's the possibility to propose that the term "Hang" conferred as ahonorific by the Malay Kings also has no basis."

 Moreover,  before the time of the 5 warriors with their close families during this close period of relationship with the Chinese,  there are no Malays with this name.

Note that the Chinese ‘princess’ who married the Sultan of Malacca was called “Hang Li Po”.  Here,  we not only see the same name,  but the name is also in front,  indicating a Chinese naming convention.  Hang Li Po brought along with her many servants and bodyguards from China who became the Baba and Nyonya's of Malacca  -  these folk exist to this day.  Chinese who do not know how to speak or write Chinese.  They have been totally ‘malayanised”.  Babas are people of Chinese descend who have been malayanised to such an extent that they wear Malay clothing, eat Malay food (with some Chinese food), speak Malay, and do not speak or write Chinese.  Malacca is famous for its Baba communities.  The only thing that is Chinese about them is that they are of Chinese ancestry.  If you say that Hang Tuahis a Malay in the same sense that these Chinese have been malayanised,  then you might be quite right.  However,  at this present moment,  we are arguing on the basis whether he was an ethnic Malay or an ethnic Chinese,  in the sense of blood ancestry. . 

There is an old Chinese tradition where warriors or servants in the royal palace were given or re-issued with surnames given by the emperor,  to signify that they belong to the emperor,  or to one of his offsprings.  Therefore,  it is possible that some very special bodyguards of the emperor or the royal family,  have the same surname to signify that they are a unit formed especially to protect that one owner.  Since the Princess Hang Li Po was given away in marriage to a strategic partner whose land the emperor wanted to ensure is safe and stable,  heassigned a group of able warriors to the Princess Li Po,  and he gave their families the same surname.  This is not an unusual practice for the Chinese emperor. 

As for Hang Kasturi having 4 characters in his name,  it is unusual,  but it does happen that some Chinese have only 2 characters,  and some have 4 characters in their names.  For example,  my paternal grandmother had only 2 characters in her name. 

See: http://www.anu.edu.au/asianstudies/ahcen/proudfoot/mmp/rtm/teachers.html

 

In the GENEALOGICAL TREE OF THE ROYAL FAMILIES OF PERAK STATE  (http://www.geocities.com/aizaris/genealogy),  you may note 2 things:-

1)            Evidence that traditional Malay naming conventions do not carry the name of the father forward.

2)            There is no surname to carry forward

3)            Neither name nor surname are placed in front.

4)            The genealogy of the early part of the lineage tree makes reference to Chinese ancestry:-  “Putera   Chedra China”   “Puetra China”   and then later  “Paduka Sri Cina”  

This proves there has been early Chinese links in the Malay/Indonesian races and aristocratic lineages.

 One Malay argued that Hang Tuah was already in the service of the Sultan before Hang Li Po was sent to Malacca.  However,  there is not evidence of this.  A probable reference is the semi folklore Hikayat Hang Tuah,  whicjh is not very reliable as it has many contradiction to SejarahMelayu.  From the Ming Dynasty chronicles does not mention Hang Li Po or Hang Tuah but did mention the trip of Sultan Mansur Shah.  See: http://thepenangfileb.bravepages.com/histr36.htm

It is even possible that Hang Li Po was a minor “princess”  (ie.  only a daughter of a court official) who the emperor ordered to be given away to marry a vassal sate in order to ensue loyalty and close diplomatic relation.  The whole event was blown up to given the foreign king a big ego boost that the great Chinese overlord gave him his own daughter in marriage!  (It is doubtful that the conservative Chinese emperors would give their daughters away to somebody living in a foreign land very far away).  It has happened before in the history of China.  For example,  the Tibetans think that their King Sonten Gampo forced the Chinese emperor to give away his daughter in marriage in order to make peace with great big powerful Tibet.  The story from the Chinese side is that the Chinese emperor tricked the egotistical Tibetan king into believing that the palace maid was a princess and sent her off with her retinue and gifts.  It was a ‘diplomatic trick”.  Therefore,  it is possible that the Chinese court repeated the trick on Sultan Mansur Shah,  and gave him a “Chinese princess” with many gifts for the Sultan.  In the meantime,  he sent some warriors to the Sultanate to help ensure peace, safety and stability in the region – all in China’s national interests.  Protect your friends and your interests will be protected.  Or it could have been a ploy used by the Chinese emperor and the Malaccan sultan to use this marriage of a “princess” to deter the Siamese kings from encroaching on Malaccan territory.   Siam would not dare to invade Malacca whose sultan is a son in law of the mighty Chinese empire!

Footnote:-

The 5 sworn brothers who studied and practised Silat together are:-

Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Lekir, Hang Lekiu and Hang Kasturi. 

Further references:-

Serajah Melayu– History of the Malay Peninsula

http://www.sabrizain.demon.co.uk/malaya/parames.htm

Parameswara and the founding of the Sultanate of Malacca    by John Chow

 This is my limited understanding of this subject matter.

Related posts:

Malaysian History & Legend; facts & fallacies; myths ...

Hang-ups over Malaysian history 

Hang-ups over Malaysian history

Hang-ups over history

Along The Watchtower By M. Veera Pandiyan

It’s time to correct the inaccuracies and skewed viewpoints of historical events that have been ingrained as part of lessons in schools.

AS the furore over the status of Hang Tuah — historical warrior or mere myth — rages on, a notorious mob is conspicuously missing from the action.



It’s a surprise that the Benteng Demokrasi Rakyat (Bendera) hasn’t joined the fray by claiming him as an Indonesian icon and accuse us of stealing yet another piece of their heritage.

Hang Tuah and his sworn brother warriors (Hang Jebat, Hang Kasturi, Hang Lekir and Hang Lekiu) are also exalted in Indonesia.

While our hero purportedly hails from Kampung Duyung, Malacca, Indonesians believe that he was from Bintan in Riau or various parts of Sumatra.

There are roads named after him in almost every Indonesian city and town, along with universities and hotels. The Indonesian navy even has a frigate named KRI Hang Tuah.

Perhaps, Bendera, which gained infamy for throwing human faeces at the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta two years ago, is too occupied with internal troubles these days.

Its leaders, Mustar Bonaventura and Ferdy Simawun, are being sued for claiming that members of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s inner circle took 1.8 trillion rupiahs (about RM608mil) in kickbacks from the bailout of Bank Century in 2009.

As critics rebuked Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim — who sparked the debate in saying that Hang Tuah and princess Hang Li Po are purely the stuff of folklore — the Bendera bunch were reportedly busy creating a ruckus in a Jakarta courthouse.



But let’s not digress from the ongoing hullabaloo over our mythical or otherwise hulubalang (commander).

In spite of the lack of studies as proof, a host of experts and academics are defending the existence of Hang Tuah,

Archaeologist Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Nik Hassan Shuhaimi Nik Abdul Rahman, for instance, pointed out the existence of Hang Tuah’s tomb in Tanjung Kling, Malacca.

“We can’t deny that it is not. Although there is no specific name written on it, it is from the 15th century,” he said last week.

Though not a historian, I beg to differ. For generations, locals only referred to it as makam tua (old grave).

Based on stories handed down, it was the tomb of a revered Gujerati Muslim who preached Islam in the area.

But in the early 1990s, an overzealous museum curator suggested that it could be the grave of Hang Tuah. Among the grounds cited was, it dates back to the era and a grave facing the sea is fitting for a laksamana (admiral).

He succeeded in convincing the then Chief Minister, who was actively promoting tourism as Malacca’s main industry.

But this is not the only grave of Hang Tuah. The man, said to have vanished after failing to bring back the princess of Gunung Ledang for his Sultan, has “graves” in several places in Sumatra.

Hang Tuah is also famous for wells and footprints embedded in various places.

The most recognised well is, of course, in Kampung Duyung, a thriving tourist site, now set to undergo a RM132mil makeover.

Another legendary well is located in Cape Rachado or Tanjung Tuan, a promontory near Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan.

Along a trek below the oldest lighthouse in the country, is a well reputedly dug by Hang Tuah. Close to it is his supposed footprint embedded in rock.

There was once also another footprint next to Batu Menyabong (cockfighting rock), near Kuala Sungai Baru.

Legend has it that Hang Tuah stomped his foot in joy, leaving an imprint, after his gamecock won. Alas, the area was quarried in the late 1880s, leaving only a village to bear the name.

Many academics believe that the 1537 version Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals) offers proof of Hang Tuah’s existence.

But the problem is the people’s perception of him has been coloured by the fictional Hikayat Hang Tuah.
But it still won’t be a big deal if Hang Tuah turns out to just a myth because his legend has grown too big to be wished away.

The bigger issue is the many inaccuracies and skewed viewpoints of historical events that have been included as part of lessons in schools since the 1980s.

The Education Ministry’s 10-member panel to review the History syllabus, set up in May last year, has a crucial role to set things right.

If nation-building is the agenda, the syllabus must be based on veracity and fairness with regard to the contributions of all races and cultures.

The panel should also consider the findings of Kempen Sejarah Malaysia Sebenar (KemSMS), the alternate group comprising parents, academics and non-governmental organisations.

As Datuk Thasleem Mohamed Ibrahim, who chairs the group said, our textbooks should portray an inclusive picture of Malaysia’s past and there should not be over-emphasis on Islamic civilisation at the expense of information about other religions.

A glaring example of down- playing important history is the scant attention paid to highlighting Bujang Valley in Kedah — arguably the richest archaeological place in the region.

Researchers believe that there may have been a Hindu-Buddhist kingdom here possibly as early as 110 CE.

Kedah’s name comes from the ancient Hindu kingdom of Kedaram (Tamil), which was also known as Kataha Nagara (Sanskrit). The valley was also called Bhujanga (Dragon or King of Serpents).

History has to be rewritten to give Kedah its rightful place as the oldest civilisation in the Malay Peninsula.

The Kedah Sultanate, dating from the first Hindu ruler Maharaja Derba Raja, also known as Merong Maha Wangsa, is perhaps the oldest monarchy from the same family line in the world.

There were eight successive Hindu Maharajahs of Kedah before the ninth, Maharaja Derba Raja XI or Phra Ong Mahawangsa (1136 to 1179) converted to Islam and changed his title to Sultan Muzaffar Shah.

The Yang diPertuan Agong, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, is the 27th Sultan and the 35th ruler of Kedah, counting the Hindu predecessors.

> Associate Editor M. Veera Pandiyan likes this quote by Oscar Wilde: Anybody can make history. Only a great man can write it.

Related post:

Malaysian History & Legend; facts & fallacies; myths, heroes or zeroes?